Annona Species Monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future

Chapter 12. Economic Information
the income starts to cover the cost of establishment and maintenance, and
provides an economic return (Table 12-1).
The cost for establishment and maintenance of one hectare of soursop can be
calculated from a matrix, the units and quantities for each factor of
production should be multiplied by local prices for each unit (Torres and
Sánchez, 1992; Pinto and Silva, 1994). Aguiar and Junqueira (2001), in their
study on costs of establishment and economic returns for soursop, stated that
the total cost of production varies from US$ 2,485 per hectare in the first
year to US$ 1,183 in the sixth year (Table 12-1).
Intercropping with an annual crop (e.g., beans) or another fruit crop, such as
papaya (Plate 3), could provide additional income and decrease the costs of
orchard establishment and maintenance during the first unproductive years.
Generally, the soursop ecotype Morada attains its mature yield of 50-60 kg of
fruits/plant in the seventh year, when the mean productivity is around 10 t/ha
and a net annual income of US$ 6,600 is expected. From the second to the
seventh year, an accumulated net income of approximately US$ 17,000 is
attained (after subtracting the US$ 4,328 costs of the two first years; Table
12-1). Of the US$ 2,486 for orchard establishment and maintenance in the
first year, about 70% is maintenance. These numbers must be used
cautiously, since mean productivity of soursop in Brazil is only about 4 t/ha
and local cultivars of the north-eastern region must also be considered.
Soursop, however, can be sold as a fresh fruit or for processing, the latter
option adding value to the raw produce, which is a great advantage compared
with cherimoya and sugar apple, which are sold almost exclusively as fresh
fruit.
Table 12-1. Mean costs to establish and maintain one hectare of soursop
cv Morada, based on 204 plants per hectare, and estimated gross and net
incomes
Year
Establishment/Mai
ntenance (US$)
Av. Yield (ton of
fruitha)
Gross Income
(US$) (1)
Net Income (US$)
1st 2,486 - 0 0
2nd 716 2 1,360 644
3rd 675 4 2,720 2,045
4th 923 5 3,400 2,477
5th 996 7 4,760 3,764
6th 1,184 9 6,120 4,936
7th 1,212 10 6,800 5,588
Data from central Brazil (Pinto and Silva, 1994; Aguiar and Junqueira, 2001)
(1) Price of fresh fruit was US$ 0.68/kg, at an exchange rate of US$ 1.0 = R$
2.924 (January 2004).
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